


Whims of Biology

by Laur



Series: Don't Tell Me You Love Me [6]
Category: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: 666 Fics Fics Fics (Good Omens), Cuddling & Snuggling, Don't copy to another site, Flashbacks, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Panic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-29
Updated: 2019-09-29
Packaged: 2020-11-07 15:00:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20819240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Laur/pseuds/Laur
Summary: The problem with having a body was, without paying attention, an occult being could fall prey to the whims of biology. For humans, scent had an incredible ability to conjure up memories and emotions associated with that smell. Crowley was not immune to this.





	Whims of Biology

The power was out and Crowley was panicking.

He didn’t give a fig about the power and the dark didn’t phase him, but when the soothing hum of electricity had gone silent he had woken to find himself alone. Not an uncommon occurrence, so he had rolled out of bed and padded bare foot down the stairs to find Aziraphale, hunched over a book at his desk, lighting a candle.

The problem with having a body was, without paying attention, an occult being could fall prey to the whims of biology. For humans, scent had an incredible ability to conjure up memories and emotions associated with that smell. Crowley was not immune to this.

It hit him like a blast from a firehose, the smell of smoke and book dust and leather filling his lungs and throat and he was no longer standing in his pyjamas, about to invite Aziraphale back to bed, but in the middle of a blaze.

This was when the panic started. Panic and yawning dread and loss, like doing a million-light-year freestyle dive into the unknown. It didn’t matter that Aziraphale was right in front of him because he was also _gone_, the ravenous beast of memory swallowing Crowley into its putrid, hopeless maw.

“Crowley?”

A snake, when panicked, will lash out. This was another biological whim that Crowley was not immune to.

With a snap hard enough to fracture a phalange, every candle inside the book shop and within a ten-mile radius blinked into nonexistence.

“What the fuck were you thinking?”

Eyes widening, Aziraphale stood. “My dear, are you alright?”

He wasn’t alright. His body was a mess of rebellious nerves, his breath coming fast, all his muscles quivering. He simultaneously wanted to grip Aziraphale by the shoulders and shake some sense into him, and pull him into his arms and never let go. “Yeah, yeah, super,” he said shrilly. “Almost watched you set your bookshop on fire again, but hey, never better.”

Aziraphale had millennia of practice overlooking Crowley’s sarcasm and did so now, approaching as if Crowley really were a snake readying to strike. With slow movements, he gathered Crowley’s cold hands in his warm ones. The pain in his finger instantly faded. “I’ve used candles since opening my bookshop and only had a fire the once.” He cupped Crowley’s cheek and Crowley closed his eyes, focusing on the touch and forcibly bringing his body under control again. “But I suppose I should ‘get with the times’, as they say. Invest in a few torches.”

Exhaling shakily, fighting a rising tide of embarrassment, Crowley opened his eyes to take in Aziraphale’s soft smile and concerned eyes. Moonlight bathed his features intimately and another pang of anxiety rippled Crowley’s frame. He had almost lost this. “I’ll buy you a headlamp,” he croaked, regretting his outburst.

Some of the concern faded and Aziraphale kissed him, so sweetly his worries melted away. Crowley draped his arms over Aziraphale’s shoulders, feeling the warmth of him all down his front.

“Dearest,” Aziraphale breathed against his lips.

Crowley kissed him again. “Hm?”

“Do you think, ah, you could give back my candle holder? It was nearly four hundred years old.”

Crowley reluctantly parted from the skin of his neck. “Er. I didn’t actually _send_ it anywhere so much as send it _nowhere_. Sorry.”

“No matter.” Aziraphale kissed him again and pulled away to return to his book. “Will you be going back to sleep?”

Crowley shrugged, unwilling to let Aziraphale out of his sight.

“I was thinking of continuing my reading in bed. Will you join me?”

“Sure, yeah, sounds good.”

Crowley let Aziraphale lead the way upstairs and arrange them to his liking, Aziraphale half propped up and Crowley’s head on his diaphragm. With a whisper of power, Aziraphale created a hovering ball of light and quietly began to read aloud, his voice vibrating under Crowley’s ear.

Snuggled under the covers and Aziraphale safe in his arms, Crowley floated back into smokeless dreams.

**Author's Note:**

> [Tumblr!](https://notesoflore.tumblr.com/)


End file.
